Synopsis

With thousands of British fans journeying to Russia for the World Cup, David Dimbleby returns to a nation he last visited in the early years of Yeltsin’s presidency – a quarter of a century ago. Vladimir Putin has now governed the world's largest country for eighteen of those years, with another six years anticipated. Amidst rising discussions of a new Cold War and accusations from British Intelligence of ‘criminal thuggery’ by Putin's government, this Panorama special explores the enduring appe